Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Paula from West Virginia

  This book begins with John Conlan writing in school for a typing class. John is talking about his freshman year and all the bad and immature things that he did, during that year. Then after a while his best friend Lorraine Jensen starts telling about how and when she and John first met. They didnt know each other until they started talking on the school bus. Then after a couple of days sitting together on the bus they because pretty good friends, so they started hanging out and they became each others best friend. 
  This book mainly talks about how John and Lorraines life, and the Pigman or Mr.Piganti. John and Lorraine meet Mr.Piganti during a phone marathon. They do phone marathons a lot, they would call random numbers and find out how long they can talk to the person who picks up the phone. The main points are they call the Pigman and tell him a lie to get money from him, so they have to go over to his house to get it. Then after being with the Pigman for a while they become very good friends with him, so they decide to start skipping school to go to the zoo and do other things with Mr.Piganti. Another main point is when the Pigman collapses in his house when he, John, and Lorraine are there. So they have to call 911 to come get him. So while Mr.Piganti is gone John and Lorraine decide to have a small party and only invite a couple of close friends, but the word gets out that their having a party. So a lot of people end up coming to their party. Then later John finds Norton Mr. Pigantis room where all of his pigs are. So John asks him to get out of the room and Norton starts breaking the pigs and John gets very mad at him and hits him. Then Mr.Piganti walks in his house, just getting home from the hospital. He gets very mad at John and Lorraine for having a wild party while he wasnt there. So the police take John and Lorraine home. John and Lorraine felt horrible that they had done such a mean thing to him, but all they could do was tell him that they were sorry and hope that he doesnt stay mad at them forever, and become friends again. 
  I think this book is very good to read. It touches on a lot of good points that young readers should know about, like you shouldnt lie just to get something you want, or to just have fun, and you can find great friends pretty much anywhere you look. Im glad I had to read this book for school because if not I probably wouldnt have ever read it, but now that I did Im very glad that I did. I think that every teenager should read this book and find out important life lessons. 
  At the end of this story after the party and Mr.Piganti comes home. John and Lorraine call the Pigman one afternoon to tell him that their sorry and would like to meet him at the zoo so they could talk. So the next day they go meet the Pigman at the zoo. Hes over 15 minutes late so they think hes not going to show, but he does. So they buy peanuts to feed Bobo with. When they arrive at Bobos cage they find out that Bobo had died a couple days ago. After Mr.Piganti finds out that his pet monkey died, he falls over and dies in the zoo. 
  I think the end of the book is very sad. It is sad because Mr.Piganti dies, and John and Lorraine didnt really get to make up with him. The end of the book made me cry, because you dont know when things might happen to someone very special to you, and you only get to live your life once so you should live a good one while you still can.